Are We Crimson, Now?
by Rini-dono13
Summary: Kaoru comes face to face with a woman from Kenshin's past. Weeks later, she gets a letter from a man she used to know 3 years ago. How do they know each other? How will K and K react to these blasts from the past? READ AND REVIEW! PLEASE!


DISCLAIMER: Blah blah Blah, I don't Rurouni Kenshin and all that junk,so blah to you all, stupid lawyers.  
  
(Authoress Notes: Hiya!! Rini here, again! I am having emotional outbursts over Tomoe and Kenshin, and so I felt like writing something kind of Angsty and betaying-nessy basically from Kaoru's POV. If you have any suggestions, I will definetly take all te help I can get. Happy ending for Kaoru and Kenshin or no? ANY IDEAS?? help me out, guys! ok, read on!)  
  
Chapter 1: Kenshin's Guest  
  
Kamiya Kaoru walked home from the Tokyo market, carrying the small basket full of fresh tofu. She was in such a good mood, she starting swinging the basket and walking with a bounce in her step. What a beautiful summer day!  
  
The sun was bright, the sky was clear and blue, lightly dusted with a few white clouds, but they weren't rain clouds, just fluffy white magical pillows high above. Kenshin had needed some tofu for dinner that night, and she had readily agreed, eager to get out into the sunshine. Also eager to help out and please Kenshin..but that wasn't surprising.  
  
Lately...more and more nineteen year old Kaoru was letting it sink in... (AN: Look, I know she is 17 in the series, but I just wanted her to be a few years older...it just seems to help the story! Gomen, minna!) She loved Kenshin. The innocent wanderer that had come to live in her home, the dangerous manslayer within him that set him apart from the rest. Megumi and Misao had been lecturing her ever since the Kyoto journey five months ago (AN: The part of the anime where Kenshin goes to Kyoto and fights Shishio) that they thought Kenshin was in love with her as well. But...how could that be true..? She was younger than he was, she wasn't pretty and there wasn't anything special about her...she was basically a snobby, violent, sweaty little tomboy. She couldn't even boil water without burning it! 'No...No,' she thought to herself. There was no use in putting herself down! If she wanted Kenshin to love her, she would have to stay cheerful and optomisitic. like Megumi said..as long as she smiled, Kenshin would always be there, he would always come back ot her. She sighed, looking up at the clouds again. So much had happened... but would Kenshin always come home to her? Would there be a day when he got up and left without a second glance, to be a wanderer once again? With this, she was soon deep in her thoughts..  
'What if.....'  
  
With each step Kaoru took, the Kamiya dojo came into sight, the wide wooden gates welcoming her inside. Kaoru opened the gate, still carrying the tofu. Just as she closed the gate, she heard laughter from inside the dojo. She smiled. Laughter....it was a good sign, a sign that even with everything that had been going on...that there was happiness to be had. It was good to hear it, so welcoming..like for once things could be normal. She smirked half-heartedly at that thought and walked across the yard. Was normal considered living with 2 older men and a stubborn ten year old boy, for no cost at all? It that was normal, she was in the zone...  
  
Kaoru stepped up to the sliding door that would take her into the kitchen, and stopped. She sniffed the air, and caught the scent of a delicious Miso soup. Miso soup? I thought we were having tofu...I went all the way into town to buy it for Kenshin! How odd... She reached out, about to grab the side of the shoji door, when suddenly, the door was pushed aside, and Kaoru was taken by surprise. She fell back onto the hard ground, knocked over by a body slamming hard into her. "UGH!!!!!!" "BUSU, NO BAKA!!!!!!! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING STANDING THERE??????? YOU SCARED THE HELL OUT OF ME!!!!" Kaoru grabbed Yahiko's shirt collar, pulling him down to her level on the ground. She put on a serious face and calmly asked, "Yahiko..do you remember who..." Yahiko stared with fear in his eyes. Here it comes... and braced himself for the attack. "...IS THE ONE WHO TOOK YOU IN, FED YOU, AND TAUGHT YOU SWORDSMANSHIP UNDER MY NAME?????? WELL???? WHO IS IT?????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" (AN: It pretty much goes without saying that if this were in the actual anime, Kaoru's head would look rather large and scary, and she might be gritting her teeth. The anime annoyed symbol would be optional here. The background would be red with orange spirals, and Yahiko would look very small in comparison and would have a very big sweatdrop. Just thought I would add to the mental picture here..as you were! *screen flips back to the story* *cough*)  
  
Yahiko sighed, then stood up, and boldly put his hands on his hips, scowling. "Are you gonna sit there and the ground all day, or are you going to come in and eat? Kenshin has company, and she is way more...." This statement was interrupted by footsteps near the open door, and a feminine voice was heard. "Oh my goodness! Ms., Are you all right? A tall, young looking woman hurried over to a confused Kaoru's side, and knelt down. "Here, let me help you up!" The mysterious woman reached out her hand, and the only option Kaoru saw was to take it gratefully. Kaoru looked angrily at Yahiko, and then back to the woman. "Thank you..It seems my little apprentice wasn't looking where he was going, and ran into me! He didn't even have the decency to help me up!" Yahiko grabbed his wooden sword and poised it over his sensei's head. "DON'T YOU DARE CALL ME LITTLE!!! BUSU, BUSU!!!!!!!!!! TANUKI-HEAD!!!!" "SHUT UP, YOU LITTLE BRAT!!!!" "LITTLE?? STUPID BUSU!"  
  
The woman smiled, "You must be Kamiya Kaoru. Kenshin-kun has told be so much about you! Your dojo is so beautiful. It's rustic, but so welcoming. That's what I first noticed, anyway." She smiled kindly at Kaoru, her perfect teeth glimmering in the slight glare of light from inside the dojo. Kaoru smiled weakly, brushing off her purple and yellow kimono has she did so. Kaoru looked at the woman, who couldn't have been much older than she. Or could she..? This woman..she seemed an object of utter perfection. Maybe she actually was older than herself. She certainly was pretty, but she had a certain amount of maturity in her face as well. Yahiko stood next to the stranger, pouting over the previous argument.  
  
The woman had a perfectly rounded face, with neat eyebrows and high cheekbones. Her eyes were intense, deep blue in color. Her raven hair was worn long and hung past her shoulders. The next thing Kaoru noticed was a shiny object in the woman's hair. She wore a shiny silver butterfly clip on the side of her head to hold the hair in place. That clip...where have I seen it before? I know I have seen it before...but where..? Have I met this woman in my past? No...I haven't but... Kaoru's thoughts were interrupted as Kenshin walked towards the door. "Shizuka-dono? Where have you gone?" The woman turned away from Kaoru and Yahiko and bowed to Kenshin. "Gomen, Kenshin-kun. Yahiko was going to show me where the well was, and we ran into your friend Ms. Kaoru on the way!" She smiled and looked toward Kaoru. "Isn't that right, Ms. Kaoru?" Yahiko was quick to burst out his own commentary. "Yeah, and Busu just ran into me for no good reason. She always does stupid stuff like this!" Kenshin smiled warmly, "Well, I am glad you are home, Kaoru-dono. I hope you don't mind that I invited Shizuka-dono inside...."  
  
Kaoru was still rather confused, but she nodded her approval. That was enough for now. Kenshin's "guest" nudged him in the ribs and cleared her throat. "ORO? @@ Oh, yes, silly me! Kaoru-dono, I'd like you to meet Chihiro Shizuka." Shizuka waved enthusiastically. Kenshin walked over to Kaoru, and his eyes drifted from Shizuka anc back to Kaoru. "Kaoru- dono...Shizuka-dono has lost her family in a fire in her home about a week ago. She has wandered here all the way from Kyoto."  
  
Kaoru's eyes clouded and she turned to Shizuka, who looked away and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. Kaoru gently rested her hand on Shizuka's shoulder. "I'm so..I'm so very sorry," she said in a sad, soft tone. Yahiko Stared at Kaoru, not knowing what to say to either of the nearly sobbing women in front of him. Shizuka's situation must have struck a chord. Kaoru lost her parents, too. I'm sure Kaoru knows the feelings. Kenshin gently started again. "And at this point she really has nowhere to go.." Kaoru stared at Kenshin. "Kaoru-dono.... would you please allow Shizuka-dono to stay with us for a little while?" His voice was pleading with her to agree, and Kaoru jerked her head back to Shizuka. Kaoru began, "Shizuka...I..." Quickly, Shisuka interrupted. "No, no, it's alright, really! If you don't have room, or if you don't want to allow a stranger to live in your home...! Please, don't take pity on me if you really don't need another person here....." Shizuka nervously gazed at Kenshin, then back at Kaoru.  
  
Kaoru smiled, this woman was kind and caring, in fact, she was a lot like Kenshin in her speech patterns, without the constant Oro-ing and "Sessha" talk. Kaoru smiled sympathetically. But most of all... she knew how it felt to be alone in the world. Somewhere out there without a person to care. That feeling she could relate to. "I..I know how you feel. I , too, lost my Mother and Father, the owners of this dojo. My father was assasinated when I was twelve, and my mother died of the measels when I was too young to remember...Ms. Shizuka.." Kaoru spoke almost in a whisper. Everyone was looking at Kaoru, and there was a deafening silence. A single tear escaped her misty eyes and rolled down her cheek. Again, Kaoru lifted her head and spoke softly, but with gaining confidence. "Ms. Shizuka.."  
  
Welcome..welcome to the Kamiya dojo!" Yahiko jumped up in the air and cheered, and Kenshin smiled. "That was a kind thing to do, Kaoru-dono. Are you sure it's alright..?" Kaoru nodded, and was about to tell Kenshin she had gotten the tofu, when she saw Yahiko running back into the dojo. Shizuka and Kenshin were gazing at each other in a way that seemed almost..intimate. Surprisingly, Kaoru was starting to feel like an intruder in her own dojo.  
Shizuka suddenly cried, "I AM SO HA--A--APPY!!!! WAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!" Shizuka reached over and wrapped her arms around Kenshin, pulling him into a loving embrace. Kenshin's eyes widened, and he gave another oro. Still, Shizuka didn't pull back. Slowly and reluctantly, a smile came upon Kenshin's face. And so, right there for everyone to see, Kenshin smiled, letting his arms come around her lithe body, and if there could have been romantic music in the background this scene would have been complete. Yahiko gasped, but quickly turned away with a look of embarassment and disgust. And I thought things wouldn't change around here. I guess maybe I was wrong...but what about busu..? How is she reacting? Yahiko turned to his sensei, looking at her slumping posture. Proud shoulders sagged, and bright eyes were dimmed. Yahiko, not for the first time, wished he could comfort Kaoru for once in his life, instead of the other way around.  
  
Kaoru lowered her gaze,  
  
Sadly,  
  
To the overturned and abandoned basket of spilled tofu on the ground  
  
Forgotten after the fall  
  
And like the the basket  
  
Kaoru felt her life be turned upside- down.  
  
END CHAPTER 1  
  
(AN: so..how was it? A little too forward at the end, but pretty good, overall! REVIEW PLEASE!!!! I will read and love and treasure and print out every single on! They go on my binder for school lol! ANYWAY! Chaoter 2, COMING SOON!!! bye!! *peace sign*) Dated 11/9/03 


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